UMPD News
News and Information about the University of Maryland Police Department
UMPD Investigating Hate Bias Incident at La Plata Hall
On September 16, 2018, at approximately 5:56 p.m., UMPD responded to La Plata Hall for a hate bias incident that occurred between 2 a.m. and 5:56 p.m, on September 16, 2018. The Resident Assistant reported to police that they found non-inclusive, anti-LGBTQ language on a white board.
A picture was taken of the message and the message was erased.
A detective has been assigned to investigate this incident and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion was notified. Follow up interviews were conducted.
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Update to Today's Weather Related Alerts
The safety of our campus community is our foremost priority. In the interest of public safety, the University of Maryland Police Department contracts with AccuWeather to receive real-time information on storm paths approaching the footprint of our campus community.
When we receive alerts, we call AccuWeather to discuss what impact a storm could have on our campus and decide if a campus wide-alert is needed.
At approximately 5:19 p.m., we received notification from AccuWeather that a tornado may be imminent for our area. Based upon the warning and our conversation with their meteorologist, in the best interest of life and safety, we notified our campus community to seek shelter via text and email and sounded the siren.
At approximately 5:42 p.m., we received an update from AccuWeather that the warning was extended to 6:10 p.m and updated our alert.
At approximately 6 p.m., we received notification from AccuWeather that the warning for our campus was canceled as the rotation had shifted off to the north.
While weather-related incidents are often reported for broad geographic regions, AccuWeather targets the specific footprint of our campus community. Weather monitoring is often monitored on a broader scale, and we issue alerts specific to our community of more than 50,000 to ensure that safety messages are quickly and accurately conveyed to our campus community. As soon as we were alerted that the storm path shifted, we issued an "all clear" message to our community.
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UMPD Investigating Two Hate Bias Incidents
The University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD) are investigating two hate bias incidents.
On September 2, 2018, at approximately 3:40 p.m., UMPD responded to Queen Anne’s Hall for a hate bias incident that occurred between August 30, and September 1, 2018. A student reported to police that anti-LGBTQ comments were found on a couple of whiteboards and verbal anti-LGBTQ statements were overheard the following night.
On September 2, 2018, at approximately 8:07 p.m., UMPD responded to La Plata Hall for a swastika that was drawn onto a whiteboard. The incident occurred between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on September 2.
In both incidents, a detective was immediately assigned, witness canvasses were conducted and follow-up interviews were completed. Video reviews of the cameras in the area of both locations are underway along with a review of the card swipe access system. Both cases are being actively investigated. Anyone with information are strongly encouraged to contact UMPD at 301-405-3555. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous may email http://www.umpd.umd.edu/contact/anonymous_tip.cfm .
“The University of Maryland Police Department takes these matters very seriously. As our investigations continue, we call on our community for their help. If you have any information, please contact us. We want to hear from you.” – Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas, a spokesperson for UMPD.
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An Update from Last Night's Text Alert
UPDATE: 09/14/18
After re-interviewing the reporting person in this case and the available video footage from our Security Operations Center, the interaction between the reporting person and the individual from the vehicle do not meet the necessary requirements of a robbery. This case has been changed to a suspicious activity report.
During the interaction, an assault did not occur and no property was taken from the reporting person.
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Below is an update from last night's text alert that was sent via the UMD ALERT System:
On September 2, 2018, at approximately 3:02 a.m., a male UMD student reported to UMPD that he was walking on the sidewalk along Rossborough Lane, near Ritchie Coliseum. While walking east towards the Leonardtown area, a dark color vehicle stopped and the driver asked the male for directions. During this interaction, the driver inquired about his property. The student then walked away. The passenger side door began to open and the student ran away to a safe location.
The student did not see a weapon. The student was not hurt during this interaction. A review of the cameras in the area are underway.
Our Criminal Investigations Unit is investigating this incident as an attempted robbery. Individuals with any information regarding this incident are encouraged to contact police at 301-405-3555. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous may email http://www.umpd.umd.edu/contact/anonymous_tip.cfm .
When available for release, any additional information will be posted to UMPDNews.
** This is a clarification update due to this incident occurred on campus property whereas the two other robbery reports occurred off-campus. The Prince George's County Police Department are investigating the off-campus incidents. At this time, it is believed that all three incidents are connected. **
Individuals with any information regarding the two off-campus incidents, or the possible identity of suspects are encouraged to contact the Prince George’s County Police Department (911 or 301-352-1200).
Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411 TIPS (8477) or text "PGPD plus your message" to CRIMES (274637) on your cell phone or go to www.pgpolice.org and submit a tip online. Email address is: pgcrimesolvers@co.pg.md.us.
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